COLUMBUS, Ohio — Ohio Republicans are pushing to prohibit “foreign adversaries” from purchasing land near critical infrastructure, citing national security concerns such as espionage and cyberattacks.
However, one Northeast Ohio Democrat warns that the proposal could prevent foreign-born athletes and doctors working in Cleveland from buying homes.
“This is a safety issue for Ohioans,” said state Rep. Angela King, a Celina Republican, during Tuesday’s House Public Safety Committee hearing.
King is a co-sponsor of House Bill 1. The bill, similar to Senate Bill 88, would prohibit individuals and businesses from countries on the federal foreign adversary list from purchasing property within 25 miles of Ohio’s critical infrastructure.
This would ban people from China, Cuba, Russia, North Korea, Venezuela and Iran from buying near:
- military bases
- water treatment plants
- electricity plants
- natural gas pipelines
- broadband infrastructure
- railroads
- dams
“Few if any areas of the state would not be within 25 miles of one or the other of these types of properties,” according to a Legislative Services Commission analysis.
HB 1 would allow current owners who fall into this category to keep what they have, whereas SB 88 would require them to sell for no more than the price they paid originally.
State Representative Juanita Brent, a Cleveland Democrat, suggested that the bills could prevent foreign-born Cleveland Guardians players and Cleveland Clinic doctors from owning homes in Ohio.
She inquired about how the bills might affect “those here legally on visas or green cards.” Is there a willingness to work with them?”
“This has no impact on leases, so they can rent,” King replied.
The Guardians declined to comment, but King did mention that many of these countries do not allow Americans to own property.
“They have the option to become a citizen or a dual citizen if they want to purchase,” according to King.
Pushing China out
Ohio is not the only state seeking to limit foreign land ownership.
The National Agricultural Law Center reports that 10 states, including Ohio, will restrict foreign farmland ownership in 2023.
Some even directed companies to sell.
Arkansas ordered Northrup King Seed Co., a Syngenta subsidiary owned by ChemChina, to sell 160 acres by October 2023.
If SB 88 passes in Ohio, Capchem USA may be forced to sell its battery chemicals production facility in Lawrence County.
The Chinese-owned company is investing $75 million, with the promise of creating 65 new jobs.
Ohio did prohibit foreigners from owning farmland in its most recent two-year operating budget. Lawmakers attempted to include a 25-mile radius around military bases, but Governor Mike DeWine vetoed it, citing “unintended economic development consequences.”
DeWine’s office stated that it is premature to comment on these new proposals.
State Representative Cecil Thomas, a Democrat from Cincinnati, asked King if a smaller radius around these facilities would be a fair compromise. Indiana, for example, implemented a 10-mile limit.
He was also concerned that China might retaliate against Ohio farmers and stop buying their crops.
“I think there needs to be more discussion,” he told me.
Democrats do not necessarily oppose the concepts behind HB 1 and SB 88.
“I am all about national security. State Rep. Sean Brennan, a Democrat from Parma, believes it is a reasonable thing to do.
His only concern was whether countries like Ukraine would one day find themselves on the United States’ foreign adversary list.
How much land do foreigners own?
This is not an easy question to answer.
According to the most recent USDA data, foreign investors and companies own more than 1.8% of all land in the United States, and 3.1% of all privately held agricultural land.
The federal government and Ohio face the challenge of purchases being hidden behind shell companies and straw buyers.
“We know we will not be able to track every parcel,” King said.
Congress looked at updating the Agricultural Foreign Investment Disclosure Act last year.
In Ohio, HB 1 would create a document buyers sign swearing that they aren’t banned from buying property, and it gives local law enforcement authority to investigate whether the buyer is lying.
“If we find out afterwards,” King said. “We have that record.”
